74 percent of Facebook users don’t know the site lists their traits for targeted ads

Nearly three-quarters of Facebook users said they didn’t know the social media giant keeps a list of their traits and interests for targeted advertisements, according to a new survey by the Pew Research Center.

The survey of 963 U.S. adults with a Facebook account found that a slim majority – 51 percent – were not comfortable with Facebook collecting the information once they were shown how the platform classified them.

Most users (59 percent) said Facebook’s material on them was accurate, while 27 percent said the social media company inaccurately described them.

Facebook compiles a list of what it thinks it knows about its users, including political leanings and racial and ethnic “affinities.” Users can see how Facebook categorizes them for targeted ads through the website’s “Your ad preferences” page.

The survey was conducted from Sept. 4 to Oct. 1, 2018 and has a margin of error of plus or minus 3.4 percentage points.